Together we aim to establish and foster an international network of top-level academic scholars, engineers, practitioners and decision-makers.Ā Our DeSIRE Solution Teams work closely together with amongst others: Veiligheidsregio Utrecht, the municipalities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Zwolle.Ā
DeSIRE Solution Team "Climate-resilient urban development Zwolle region"
The Zwolle region, the old delta of the IJssel-Vecht in the former āZuider Zeeā, represents the Netherlands in small. High and dry sandy soils, river landscapes with cities and peat meadows, and polders below sea level. All connected through the water system. A water system that is changing because of climate change and increasing spatial demand for urbanization, housing, energy and mobility. Changes that put pressure on spatial functions and planning. The Zwolle region has the ambition to become a delta of the future: a climate-resilient, attractive and economically prosperous. With climate change and a resilient water system as main drivers for designing the landscape of the future, interdisciplinary solutions are key.
The Delta Futures lab aims to unite education, research and practice in innovative projects. It provides a multidisciplinary network for students who have the ambition to become interdisciplinary leaders in spatial design, engineering and governance of deltas. Collaboration between students, societal stakeholders and University staff takes place in thematic working groups. In the past year, groups were organized around challenges such as the Limburg 2021 floods, Urban Climate Adaptation, and the Rhine Estuary-Drechtsteden under sea level rise. In the 2022-2023 academic years, the 4TU.RE Centre, the municipality of Zwolle and regional water authority Drents Overijsselse Delta (WDODelta) organize a Solution Team that focuses on to achieving climate-resilient urban development in Zwolle region.